I appeared on NC State’s WKNC for “The Brad Dixon Show” last night to discuss the ongoing controversy at UNC-Chapel Hill regarding its derecognition of a Christian fraternity. During the course of the interview, and in response to another’s comment that the group should raise its own money itself, I said I’d like to see mandatory student fees ended altogether to let all student groups raise their own money themselves. This would cut the cost of attending college (significantly at some universities) and eliminate all the grousing about polarizing speakers being brought to campus on students’ dimes.
I’ve found a most recent example of this at work. The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscriber site) reports the following:
California State University at San Marcos canceled a planned university-sponsored appearance by the filmmaker Michael Moore last week, prompting an uproar among students, who quickly collected their own funds to bring the director of Fahrenheit 9/11 to the campus. … the university’s student government, Associated Students Inc., started raising its own money to sponsor Mr. Moore’s visit. According to the Los Angeles Times, the group collected $46,000 to cover Mr. Moore’s $35,000 fee and the $11,000 cost of renting a hall in nearby Escondido. …
